Direction indicator



June 21 Fil ed Oct. 11, 1926 Patented June 21, 1927.

WILLIAM COLE PLATT BALDWIN, OF LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA.

. DIRECTION INDICATOR.

Application filed October 11, 1926. Serial 110,140,957.

My invention relates to improvements in direction indicators, and theobject of the invention is to devise an indicator which will clearly and unmistakably indicate to the traffic the direction the driver is turning, and it consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a closed automobile showing my device mounted upon the roof thereof and in the normal position.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my device showing it in the two indicating positions, one position being infull lines and the other in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view through the main portion of my device.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on line 44 Fig. 3.

In the drawing like characters of refer.- ence indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

1 indicates a portion of the roof of an automobile. 2 is a housing secured upon the roof preferably in one corner thereof, such housing being open at the bottom and provided with a surrounding flange 2 through which extends securing means for connecting it to the roof of the automobile. 3 is a double wall or channel extending from the housing transversely of the car roof for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

The housing 2 is provided intermediately of its width with a transverse wall 4 having a bearing orifice 5. v

6 is a bearing orifice formed in the rear wall 2 of the housing 2 in horizontal alignment with the orifice 5. 7 is a short tubular shaft journalled in the orifices 5 and 6, the forward end projecting into the interspace between the wall 4 and the front wall 2 of the housing 2, such projecting end being provided with an annular groove 7". The rear end of the shaft 7 is provided with an enlargement 7 forming an annular shoulder bearing against the rear wall 2 of the housing 2. 8 is an elbow'which may be formed integral or secured to the shaft 7. The elbow 8 is hollow and is provided with a threaded orifice 8 into which an incandescent bulb 9 is screwed. 10 is a tube of semi-translucent material provided at its upper end with a bulb 11 also of semi-translucent material and which may be of contrasting colour to the, tube 10. 13 is an annular flange extending around the orifice 8 and around which the lower end of the tube 10 is fitted and secured. 14 is a gear secured to the shaft 7 between the walls 4 and 2 15 is a springprovided with an open ended slotted centre portion 15 forming fingers extending at each side of the shaft? so as to engage with the groove 7 and thereby prevent any vibration effecting the shaftso as to produce rattle.

The lead wires of the bulb 9 extend through the tubular shaft 7 and hollow sleeve 8 as clearly indicated at 16.

leis a pull bar provided with a pull handle 18 and a rack 19 connecting with the gear 14. The pull bar 18 is guided and held in meshing position with the gear 14 bythe walls 4 and 2 and the corresponding side wall at the housing 2 which form an enclosing space for the pull bar. 20 is a pointer secured to any suitable stationary portion of the car or windshield so that the position to which the pull bar must be moved in order to carry my indicator to the correct indicating position is located. In the position shown in Figure 1, the tube 10 forming an indicating finger with the bulb 11 is hid behind the wall 3 both from front and rear.

When it is desired to indicate a right turn the handle 18 and pull bar 18 is pushed up until the pointer 20 indicates the correct indicating position, in which position the indicating finger formed by the tube 10 is carried to an inclined positionas indicated by full lines in Figure 2. If it is desired to indicate a left hand turn the pull bar is further pushed up until the finger formed by the tube 10 is swung to the dotted position shown in Figure 2, after which the pull bar 18 is pulled down to its normal position so that the finger 10 may be again carried behind the wall 3.

From this description it will be seen that I have devised a very simple device which will clearly indicate to the traffic the direction which the driver intends to take, the illuminated finger being swung to an inclined position either extending to the right or to the left to correspond with the direction desired to be indicated and thereby rendering the signal clearly visible.

It will of course be understood although I have applied my device to a closed car it will be equally as well applied to an open car by being supported by any suitable brackets upon the car Windshield frame.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A direction indicator comprising a housing having an intermediate cross wall, a tubular shaft journalled in the cross wall and in the rear wall of the housing and pro vided with an annular groove in its front end, a spring secured within the housing and entering the groove to force the shaft longitudinally, a gear mounted upon the shaft between the transverse wall and the Wall of the housing, an elbow carried by the rear end of the shaft an incandescent bulb carried thereby, a tubular semitranslucent finger carried by the elbow and containing the incandescent bulb and means engaging the gear operated from the drivers seat for turning the shaft.

2. A direction indicator comprising a housing having an intermediate cross wall, a tubular shaft journalled in the cross wall and in the rear wall of the housing and provided with an annular groove in its front end, a spring secured within the housing and entering the groove to force the shaft longitudinally, a gear mounted upon the shaft between the transverse wall and the wall of the housing, an elbow carried by the rear end of the shaft an incandescent bulb carried thereby, a tubular semitranslucent finger having a spherical enlargement at its L outer end, a pull bar provided with a rack engaging the gear, and means for guiding the pull bar to move vertically.

WILLIAM COLE PLATT BALDWXN. 

